There Is No Other

A photograph of the graduation ceremony at West Point went viral this week. It is of a cadet, 2nd Lieutenant Alix Idrache, with tears staining his cheeks, unchecked as he stood at attention. The cadet is an immigrant to the United States. His path to West Point is not typical. He spent two years as an enlisted soldier in the 231st Chemical Company with the Maryland Army National Guard, earning his citizenship. Then, he went on to West Point.

He said the emotions welled as three things came to mind. “The first is where I started. I am from Haiti and never did I imagine that such honor would be one day bestowed on me. The second is where I am. Men and women who have preserved the very essence of the human condition stood in that position and took the same oath. Men who preserved the Union [in] a dark period of this country’s history. Men who scaled the face of adversity and liberated Europe from fascism …Women like Captain Griest, Lieutenant Haver, Major Jaster who rewrote the narrative and challenged the status quo to prove themselves worthy of being called Rangers.”
The third thing he thought about is his future. Shortly after he leaves West Point, he will report to Fort Rucker, Ala., to start flight school.

“Knowing that one day I will be a pilot is humbling beyond words. I could not help but be flooded with emotions knowing that I will be leading these men and women who are willing to give their all to preserve what we value as the American way of life. To me, that is the greatest honor.”

He said he chose to become a pilot because it seemed like something he never would have been able to do without West Point.
“People where I’m from don’t grow up to be pilots, right? Like they don’t dream of flying a helicopter, that’s not something you do. You don’t just say I’m going to be a pilot and make it happen. There’re no aviation, there’re no helicopters, no flight schools. There’re none of that.”

This young man graduated from West Point the top of his class in physics. He has worked hard and sacrificed… and now he has the opportunity to choose to be a pilot.

Choices are important. Roy Disney, Walt’s brother, said of choices, “It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”

Alix Idrache was able to choose to be a pilot because of the myriad of choices he made over a span of years, decisions he made based on his values. In a Washington Post article, I read about Idrache’s father who immigrated to America and was able to bring the rest of his family with him in 2009. The family didn’t have much, but his father always stressed the importance of education.
“My dad always said, ‘Education is the only gift I can always give you, because I don’t have any anything material to give.’”
This young man knows who he is, he knows who had gone before him, and he focused on his future. It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.

Around 900 B.C. the people of Israel have forgotten. They have forgotten who they are, they have forgotten the stories of their ancestors, and they don’t have a vision for the future. They have forgotten what they value, so they are having a hard making decisions.

Elijah asks the people of Israel, ““How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” Who will be your god? And the people stood there, stunned. They didn’t answer him a word.

They were struggling to survive. The drought had gone on for three years. They were willing to worship or sacrifice to any power that could give them water. They were willing to set their values aside. Whatever works. We just need water.

Elijah calls for a sacrifice show-down, 2 bulls, 2 wood piles, in the heat of the day on the top of the mountain, whose god will provide a spark to set the fire?
The prophets of Baal go first. They cry and rave and there is no voice, no answer, no response.

There had once been an altar to the Lord on Mount Carmel, but by the time of Elijah it had fallen into ruins. Elijah calls the people close and picks up the twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Israel, and builds with them an altar. Then he digs a trench all the way around the altar. He lays wood on the altar and the bull.

And then he calls for four jars of water. Their most precious, scarce water. And he has them pour it on the offering and even points out to be sure and wet the wood. Then four more. And then four more. Pour out what is precious to you, and trust God.

And then he remembers before God who has gone before, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel” and he remembers who he is, “I am your servant, and I have done all these things according to your bidding” and he focuses on the future God envisions for them, “O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

Then the fire of the Lord falls and consums the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licks up the water that was in the trench.
And the people remember, and fall on their faces and they start shouting, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.” There is no other. And the rains came.
As I reflected on the story behind the picture of the young cadet that went viral and this story in the life of God’s people, I thought about the connections to our life as a church and as individuals.
We have choices to make every day, and those choices are clear when we remember who we are, who has come before us, and we focus on the future that God dreams for us.

Who are you? Part of my childhood, we lived in my dad’s small hometown of Camden, Tennessee. He is one of 8 children. So I have lots of cousins. When someone asks who I am in Camden, I am one of the Patterson girls. Who are you? Someone’s child, someone’s spouse, someone’s parent. Who are you? Born in one place, from a hometown. Who are you? Graduate of someplace, employee, manager, owner, retired. Who are you?
And who has gone before you? When we said we were one of the Patterson girls, people knew our people. Who has gone before you? Who paved the way? Who paid the bills? Who taught you values? Who set the example?
And where are you headed? What are your goals? Your dreams? Your focus?

Whatever choices lie ahead, whatever forks are in our paths, we make our decisions based on our values, rooted in these three questions. So, our answers are critically important. Elijah asked, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions?”

The people didn’t know who they were anymore, they had been exiled. They had forgotten or discounted how God had been there for their ancestors. And they didn’t have an answer for where they were headed other than that they just wanted water. How often do we do that in our lives? Things go wrong and we are parched and desperate. And we forget…

Who are you? You know who you are? You are God’s child.
Who has gone before to pave the way, to pay the bills, to teach values, to set the example? Jesus.
And where are you headed? The Spirit is the source of our passions and our dreams. Are you focused on yours?

2nd Lieutenant Idrache is. I have no doubt he will be a pilot and serve us well.

You are a child of God. Jesus is your teacher and example. The Spirit has given you passions and dreams. Focus on them, and serve God well.

*This sermon includes quotes and information from the May 25, 2016 Washington Post article, “The Story Behind the ‘American Dream’ Photo at West Point That Went Viral” by Dan Lamothe.